Hay-stacker.



PATENTED FEB. 7, 1905.

A. W. LIGHTBURNE.

HAY STAGKER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

ITNE 21 5E 2 INVENTUE flflUj/ighiburne PATENTED FEB. 7, 1905.

A. W. LIGHTBURNE.

HAY STAGKER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. a. 1904.

INVERTER L w W 3 3 WITNE E: 51E 5 UNITED STATES Patented February '7, 1905.

ALVAN W. LIGHTBURNE, OF LIBERTY, MISSOURI.

HAY-STACKER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 781,667, dated February '7, 1905.

Application filed September 9, 1904. Serial No. 223,883.

lb 11 whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALVAN W. LIGHTBURNE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Liberty, in the county of Clay and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hay-Stackers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in hay-stackers; and my object is to provide a simple apparatus of this character with a stacker-head which can be swung in a circle and dumped at any desired elevation above the ground.

The invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement, and combination of parts hereinafter described, and pointed out in the appended claims, and in order that it may be fully understood reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which" Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the hay-stacker, showing the stacker-head and its frame in an elevated position by dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same with the stacker-head and its frame in an elevated position, the stacker-head being shown in a dumped position by dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on line III III of Fig. 1 with the hoisting-cable removed. Fig. l is a detail perspective view of a triangular plate adapted to be secured to the upper end of the standard to which the upper ends of the guy-ropes are attached.

ln carrying out the invention I employ a rectangular base 1, which is prevented from accidentally shifting by stakes 2 when the apparatus is in operation.

3 designates a standard formed, preferably, of gas-pipe and swiveled at its lower end upon the base, so that it may be turned upon the latter when desired.

t designates a plug rigidly secured in the upper end of the standard and provided with a vertical slot 5, through which a transverse shaft 6 extends, upon whicha sheave-wheel 7 is journaled.

8 designates the triangular plate pivotally secured to the upper end of plug l by means of a headed pin 9 and provided at each corner with an aperture 10 for the reception of the upper ends of guy-ropes 11, whereby the standard is supported in a vertical position.

12 designates a depending hook secured at its upper end to pin 9 between the triangular plate and the upper end of the plug.

13 designates a triangular frame slidingly and pivotally secured at one end upon the standard. 3 and comprising a centrally-disposed horizontal beam H, a pair of beams 15, secured. at their converging ends to the inner terminal of beam 1%, an upright piece 16. secured to the inner ends of beams 111 and 15, a pair of braces 17, secured near their opposite ends to the outer ends of beams 15 and the upper end of upright 16, and a pair of arms 18, secured to the inner ends of beams 15, which extend rearwardly at opposite sides of standard 3 and are connected at their rear terminals by a transverse bolt 19.

Q0 designates a' short transverse shaft ex tending through arms 18 at a point between standard 3 and upright 16 for the reception of an antifriction-rollcr 21, having a concave face to fit the curvature of the standard. The upper ends of braces 17 also extend rearwardly at opposite sides of standard 3 and are connected by a short transverse shaft 22, upon which is journaled another antifriction-roller 21.

23 designates a stacker-head comprising a plurality of finger-bars 24, a transverse bar 25, connecting the upper rear endsof the linger-bars, a transverse bar 26, secured to the under side of the linger-bars near the rear ends of the latter, a plurality of upwardly and backwardly extending pieces 27, bolted at their lower ends to the linger-bars and resting at their rear sides against bar a transverse bar 28, connecting the upper ends of pieces 27, and a pair of triangular blocks 29, secured to the rear ends of two of the lingerbars.

Braces 17 are pivotall y secured at their lower forward terminals to the forward portions of blocks 29 by pins 30. so that when the stackerhead is resting upon the ground, as shown in Fig. 1, the weight of frame 13 bearingdownwardly on the forward portions of said blocks will reliably hold the pointed forward terminals of the linger-bars in contact with the surface of the ground. Consequently when a sweep-rake is drawn forward to deliver a charge of hay upon the stacker-head the fin ger-bars 24 will not accidentally tilt upwardly and interfere with the movement of the rake. hen the latter is drawn forward to deliver a charge of hay upon the stacker-head, its teeth pass between the finger-bars and beneath transverse bar 26, the latter being raised high enough above the surface of the ground by blocks 29 for this purpose. Said blocks also give the finger-bars sufficient inclination to raise the charge off the sweep-rake teeth as the latter are drawn between'said finger-bars. Consequently when the rake is backed away from the stacker-head the charge will be left upon the latter. The front ends of the blocks and beam 14 are pointed, so that should the rake-teeth contact therewith they will be deflected to either one side or the other. After receiving the charge of hay and preparatory to being elevated the stacker-head is locked from tilting beneath the weight of the hay by a link 31, a cable 32, attached at its opposite ends to the link and upright 16, asmall sheavewheel 33, attached to the central portion of transverse bar 28, and a pin 31, projecting laterally from beam 14 in order to engage an aperture 31 in the central portion of the link.

Frame 13 and the stacker-head are raised and lowered by a hoisting-cable 34, attached at one end to beam 14, from which its extends upwardly over a sheave-wheel 35, carried by a hook 12, thence downwardly beneath a sheave-wheel 36, carried by beam 14, thence upwardly over sheavewheel 7 and down- Ward] y beneath a sheave-wheel 37, its free end being attached to a swingletree, (not shown,) to which adraft-animal is hitched in the customary manner. Sheave-wheel 37 is journaled in a yoke 38, having its lower end swiveled in base 1 in order that the draft-animal may be turned in any direction to avoid the stack upon which each charge is deposited from the stacker-head. After frame 13 and the stacker-head have been elevated to'the desired height they are swung around over the stack by means of a cable 39, attached at its upper end to the forward terminal of beam 14.

After the charge has been swung to the desired position over the stack link 31 is released from pin 31 in order to permit the stackerhead to dump by pulling sidewise on a cable 40, attached at its upper end to the lower end of said link. The dumping movement of the stacker-head is limited by the link contacting with sheave-wheel 33, so that said stackerhead may be readily returned to its normal position by pulling downwardly on cable 40. As a portion of the hoisting-cable swings laterally with the stacker-head, I arrange antifriction guide-rollers 41 adjacent to sheavewheel? to prevent the cable from leaving said sheave-wheel.

In the course of a days work the sweeprake will have occasion to approach the stacker-head from two or three directions. In which event the stacker-head may be turned in the direction of the rake to shorten the travel of the latter, and when the stacker-head is thus turned it is preferable to also turn standard 3 in order that sheave-wheel 7 may be in alinement with sheave-wheel 36, and thus prevent twisting the hoisting-cable 34. The swiveled connection of the standard to base 1 and the swiveled connection of plate8 to plug 4 permits the turning of said standard witl out affecting the guy-ropes.

From the above description it is apparent that I have produced a hay-stacker in which the stacker-head may be laterally turned to any position and dumped when elevated just high enough above the stack to permit the pointed ends of the finger-bars from striking the stack. By thus being enabled to dump the stacker-head close to the top of the stack the hay will not be scattered to the same extent by wind as in stackers wherein the stacker-head must always travel to the top of the frame before dumping. It is also obvious that I save the time and labor now expended in stackers of usual make in elevating each charge to the top of the frame.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an apparatus of the character described, a standard, a frame arranged to slide and turn thereon, a cable for elevating and lowering said frame, means for turning said frame either 'to the right or to the left, a stacker-head pivotally secured to the free end of the frame, and means for locking said stacker-head in substantiallya horizontal position.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, a base, a standard swiveled thereon, a triangular frame arranged to slide and turn on the standard, means for hoisting and lowering said frame, a cable attached to said frame for turning it either to the right or to the left, a stacker-head pivotally secured to the free end of the frame, and means for locking said stacker-head in substantially a horizontal position.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, a standard, a frame arranged to slide and turn thereon, a cable for elevating and lowering said frame, a cable for turning said frame either to the right or left, a stackerhead pivotally secured to the free end of the frame, a cable attached at its opposite ends to the frame and a link and engaging the stackerhead, a pin secured to the frame adapted to engage the link, and another cable secured at one end to the lower end of the link.

4. In an apparatus of the character described, a standard, a triangular frame arranged to slide and turn thereon comprising a centrally-disposed horizontal beam, a pair of horizontal beams secured at their converging ends to the inner end of the first-mentioned beam, an upright piece secured to the connected ends of the central beam and the converging beams, a pair of braces secured near their opposite ends to the outer ends of the converging beams and the upper end of the upright piece,the upper ends of said braces extending rearwardly at the opposite sides of the standard. a pair of arms secured to the converging ends of the pair of horizontal beams and extending rearwardly at opposite sides of the standard, an antifriction-roller journaled between the rear ends of the braces and bearing against one side of the standard, and another antifrietion-roller journaled between the arms and bearing against the opposite side of the standard; means for raising and lowering said frame, and a stacker-head pivotallv secured to said frame.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, a stacker-head consisting of a plurality of finger-bars adapted to rest at their forward ends upon the ground, transverse bars connecting the rear ends of the fingerbars, triangular blocks which support the rear ends of the finger-bars above the ground, and pieces extending upwardly and backwardly from the rear ends of the linger-bars, in combination with a frame to which the forward ends of the triangular blocks are pivotallysecured, and a standard upon which said frame is arranged to slide and turn.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ALVAN V. LIGHTBURNE.

WVitnesses:

V. L. BRASFIELD, JOHN H. FUNK. 

